Vancouver claws back to stun Montreal at Langley Events Centre
In a game that swung from listless to electric, the Vancouver Bandits authored the largest comeback in team history, overturning a 22-point deficit to edge the Montreal Alliance 93–92 at the Langley Events Centre. The victory secured Vancouver a seventh consecutive Canadian Elite Basketball League playoff appearance and moved the club into a tie for first place in the Western Conference at 12–7. Montreal slipped to 8–11, holding fifth in the East and outside the playoff bracket.
The finishing sequence matched the crowd’s escalating noise. After Vancouver pulled even at 91–91 heading into Target Score Time, the Alliance went to the stripe with a chance to close it out. Jack Hemphill converted the first but missed the second, turning a potential dagger into a window. Vancouver’s Jarrell Eddie secured the defensive rebound, pushed the ball, and Shamar Givance buried the winner to cap a comeback that had seemed out of reach only minutes earlier.
Discipline and defence fuel turnaround
Interim head coach Rans Brempong zeroed in on the mental switch as Vancouver trailed 68–46 late in the third quarter. The Bandits steadied their defence, stacked stops, and translated pressure into points as the game tightened during Target Score Time.
“Our mindset, our will to not lose,” said Bandits interim head coach Rans Brempong about what changed with the team trailing 68-46 with just over four minutes to play in the third quarter. “That’s what I’ve told the team is the gift and the curse: we can be as good as we want to be. I’m proud of them. They showed what we could do, how we could play defense and how that translates to offense, but we got to be able to do that consistently. It takes discipline.”
Forward Tyrese Samuel led Vancouver with a complete line — 24 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists — and emphasized the possession-by-possession climbback that defined the fourth-quarter push.
“One stop at a time, one possession at a time. You can’t get it all back at one time. So just go out there, get a stop, hopefully get a bucket. Get a stop, get a bucket, get a stop, get a bucket,” said Vancouver’s Tyrese Samuel. “And I think we did that at a really high rate, especially going into the fourth. It showed the fight that we actually have and we need to continue going into every game, starting with the fight that we ended the game with.”
Key moments in a historic rally
- Vancouver trailed by 22 before chipping the margin to 10 entering Target Score Time.
- The Bandits drew level at 91 before Montreal split two free throws, leaving the door open.
- Jarrell Eddie’s defensive board triggered the decisive transition, finished by Shamar Givance’s jumper.
- Samuel topped the scoring; Eddie added 18 points, and James Karnik recorded a double-double.
Standings snapshot
The result shifted the conference picture entering the stretch run, with Vancouver’s win reshaping both the Western race and Montreal’s position in the East.
| Team | Record | Conference | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vancouver Bandits | 12–7 | West | Tied for 1st |
| Montreal Alliance | 8–11 | East | 5th |
Beyond the numbers, the manner of the win matters for a club that has made the post-season every year. The Bandits’ surge at home on a themed Country Night underscored two elements often decisive in the CEBL’s closing format: consecutive stops and control of the glass at the right time. Vancouver found both when it counted most.
With the playoff ticket punched and first place within reach, the next task is consistency — the very standard the interim coach referenced. The Bandits demonstrated the ceiling of their defence and pace game at Langley; carrying that into the remaining schedule will determine whether this comeback becomes a springboard for a deeper run.
